KSG’s contribution to the transformation of public service in Kenya continues: Here’s how

As Kenya advances towards the realisation of Vision 2030, the role of a competent, agile, efficient, effective, responsive, ethical, citizen-centric and forward-looking public service is critical. At the heart of this transformation is the Kenya School of Government (KSG), an institution that, over the years, has positioned itself as a cornerstone of public sector capacity development.

Implementation of the Kenya Vision 2030 will provide an environment that is suitable for the private sector to thrive and thus take the lead in economic development. The Vision envisages public sector reforms aimed at building a highly-skilled, agile, effective, efficient, fit-for-purpose, citizen-centric and responsive public sector workforce.

The Public Service plays a strategic role in the implementation of the National Development Agenda. This requires a paradigm shift in Government standards and service delivery approaches from traditional models to agile service delivery models with staff offering multiple services from different Government Ministries, Departments, Agencies and Counties (MDACs).

KSG, a Kenya Vision 2030 Flagship Project with statutory mandate to contribute to the reimagining of the Public Service, has been instrumental in empowering public servants through targeted training, research, consultancy, and leadership development. As such, the School empowers public servants to articulate and implement reforms, enhance service delivery, and drive national development. This contribution is not just a reflection of past achievements, but a strategic investment in the future of governance and institutional excellence in Kenya and the wider region.

In addition to running scheduled programmes that are also continuously reviewed and designed to address real capacity gaps, KSG developed the following unique and transformative programmes in response to dynamic and complex public sector challenges, in an effort to continuously seek solutions that should gradually bring about the desired change.

1. Devolution Programmes

KSG established the Institute of Devolution Studies (IDS) to build institutional capacity and promote effective decentralisation in Kenya and across the region. The Institute is tasked with informing devolution policy through evidence-based research; Coordinating targeted training and capacity-building programmes for county governments; Supporting knowledge management, thought leadership, and innovation in devolved governance; and Strengthening partnerships among stakeholders at national, regional, and global levels.

Currently,IDS builds on KSG’s legacy of 22 devolution-specific training programmes, ranging from county leadership and governance to public finance and climate change. It continues to support County Governments that came into operation in the year 2013.

1. Public Service Governance, Ethics and Integrity Programmes

The Institute for Public Service, Ethics and Values has developed a transformative programme – Public Service Governance, Ethics and Integrity – to foster national values, promote integrity, and support the fight against corruption, thereby nurturing a public service that is professional, ethical and value-driven.

Programmes conducted under the Institute contribute to shaping ethical and accountable leadership. The Institute, in collaboration with National Integrity Academy of EACC, has also developed transformative programmes that will contribute to ethical leadership in the Public Service.

1. Security and Public Administration Programmes

The Security Management Instituteoffers relevant and timely capacity building interventions to address the dynamic security challenges in the region and within the country. The Institute, in partnership with the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, and Development Partners, has developed various transformational programmes on Security, Administration and Grassroots leadership. Under the Institute, KSG plans to roll out Under-the-Tree series programmes in its endeavour to reach the unreached with a spirit of leaving no one behind. The programme is targeting Assistant Chiefs, Chiefs, and Village elders, PwD, Youth and Women.

1. Programme on Gender and Social Development

The Institute of Gender and Social Development has developed various programmes to addressmatters ofsocial and economic transformation, and in partnership with various stakeholders, has designed programmes on issues of healthcare access, gender equality, social justice, youth and women empowerment, and the inclusion of marginalised and vulnerable populations.

The Institute supports Kenya’s efforts to achieve gender parity, reduce poverty, and uphold human dignity in line with the Constitution, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Kenya Vision 2030, and ensures that development leaves no one behind.

1. Public Sector Digital Transformation, Data Protection, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity programmes

The Kenya School of Government, through the e-Learning Information and Technology Institute,has invested in a robust Learning Management System (LMS) and advanced video conferencing technologies in order to provide flexible access to the KSG trainings and create a flexible and scalable digital learning environment. These innovations have enabled the School to broaden access to its programmes across counties and regions, including remote and underserved areas.

The Institute also coordinates the implementation of digital transformation through the Africa Centre of Competence for Digital and AI Skilling, whose objective is to catalyse innovation, accelerating public sector modernisation and anchoring service delivery firmly around the needs of the citizen. This aligns with Kenya's National Digital Master Plan 2022-2032, which envisions a globally competitive digital economy, focusing on infrastructure, digital services, skills and innovation. This initiative is set to empower over 100,000 public servants with cutting-edge digital and AI competencies.

1. Customer Service Excellence Programmes

The Kenya Kwanza Government developed a revolutionary development plan – the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) – whose vision for the Public Service is a modern and results-focused public service as a prerequisite for the country’s socio-economic transformation. Implementation of this transformative agenda will provide an environment that is suitable for the private sector to thrive and thus take the lead in economic development. The plan envisages public sector reforms aimed at building a highly-skilled, agile, effective, efficient, fit-for-purpose, citizen-centric and responsive public sector workforce.

The Public Service plays a strategic role in the implementation of the National Development Agenda. This requires a paradigm shift in Government standards and service delivery approaches from traditional models to agile service delivery models with staff offering multiple services from different Government Ministries, Departments, Agencies and Counties (MDACs).

Towards this end, the Kenya School of Government, in collaboration with Huduma Kenya, developed and rolled out Customer Service Excellence in the Public Sector. This programme will facilitate Public Officials to serve citizens with courtesy, respect and dignity at all times, guided by a Customer-Centric perspective with an emphasis on Service Excellence in the delivery of Public Services. The National Police Service (NPS) has become one of the key institutions set to benefit from the new Customer Service Excellence (CSE) programmes, which are being offered by KSG in collaboration with Huduma Kenya. This seeks to guarantee that citizens enjoy a rewarding and fulfilling experience when interacting with government institutions.

1. Strategic Foresight and Futures: Developing future-ready PublicService

In the last decade, evolving technology, hybrid work, big data, shifting demographics, resource constraints, climate change and intergenerational disconnects, have presented opportunities and challenges to Governments world over, including Kenya.

As Kenya experiences these rapid changes and uncertainties, structured and deliberate government-led planning and policies ought to be introduced to chart the array of future possibilities. This will promote anticipatory futures-oriented planning leading to enhanced preparedness and improved resilience in existing systems, structures and operational capabilities. Strategic foresight and futures planning will prepare the public sector to be future-prepared, innovative and agile.

Strategic foresight provides an opportunity for the public service to organise a systematic way of looking beyond the expected to engage with uncertainties and complexity. This approach has the potential of creating future-ready and alert organisations that can adapt as the future evolves, through anticipation, awareness, agility and capability in the Public Service.

We are now pleased to invite you and your team to participate in a KSG training programme. By doing so, you reinforce your values of professionalism, accountability, and patriotism, while equipping your staff for impactful service engagement.

We have identified and tailored learning tracks for your officers, as detailed in the training calendar, which may be accessed through the contact below.

Kenya School of Government contacts:

1. Matuga Campus: [email protected]  | Tel. 0770770021
2. Mombasa Campus: [email protected] | Tel. 041222-7113/ 8800
3. Embu Campus: [email protected] | Tel. 0792718171/0682231824
4. Baringo Campus:  [email protected] | Tel. 0734-559997
5. Lower Kabete Campus: [email protected] | Tel. 0727496698 / 0204015000    

More information may be found on KSG website: www.ksg.ac.ke